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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sketchpad" data-source="post: 2753553" data-attributes="member: 9168">Mutants & Masterminds 2nd EditionM&M 2nd EditionA Review by SketchpadWow.  Those three letters sum up how I felt after reading Mutants and Masterminds, 2nd Edition by Green Ronin.  I was a bit reluctant, being a fan of the 1st Edition, but I’m glad I picked this up.  From its revised rules to its graphic design, the book is an incredible wealth of info and packed for fun.Serving as both a player’s handbook and GM’s guide, the M&M 2e core rulebook begins with an overview of the system and the typical “What is a Roleplaying Game”.  After this short chapter, the book kicks into overdrive, starting with character creation delving into typical heroic archetypes.  Though not all covered, the heroic models in this book cover many of the staples of the comic-book/superhero genre and are beautifully rendered in a comic-book style.  As the reader explores the rules, some of the new rules are easily apparent, as many point costs have changed, as well as the entire Power Level structure.  While the old PLs seemed fairly restrictive, the new PLs open up many possibilities for the GM and player alike.  There are now trade-offs available to increase some combat abilities and powers are no longer tethered to the PLs (rather their offensive capabilities are instead for balance issues).  When reviewing the skills and feats chapters, there are many old friends listed, but some new ones as well.  In skills, we get many of the standard d20 skills, but also get additional ones like Investigate and Notice, which happens to be a combination of Listen and Spot.  For feats, we get staples like Power Attack and Leadership, as well as newer feats like Ritualist and Equipment.  All of the feats have been modified to fit M&M’s core d20 mechanic, some using Hero Points (like Leadership), while others are able to be taken in levels (like Favored Enemy).The meat of the book seems to be in the Powers section.  Everyone should be able to find one of their favorite powers in this list.  Most of the genre staples are here: Energy Blast (now called Blast), Flame Control, Flight, Super-Strength … this book has them all and more!  To my surprise, I even found such rarities as Hellfire Control and Summon among the list, two of my favorites from comics.  Along with these powers, there is also a healthy amount of power feats, extras and flaws, with the former two taking on some revised roles.  Of the abilities listed, I think I was most impressed with the Device power, which replaces the flaw of the same name in M&M 1e.  Though similar to its predecessor, the Device power allows a discount on a pool of points to be used on a device, rather than discounting powers directly.  This makes it easier in some ways to plan your characters gadgets during creation.Along with the powers are new rules for gadgets and gadget creation.  Fans of the old Marvel Super Heroes RPG (you know … the one with the d%?) will love some of the concepts in this chapter.  The new rules make more sense in the creation process, as players must now make a few rolls to create objects, as well as using optional rules like Wealth for purchasing the equipment.  Just want your character to start with equipment?  That’s the beauty of the Equipment feat.  Now, by taking said feat, a player can purchase standard equipment for their character at a discounted cost.  Need a base with some robots?  How about a team vehicle?  They’re in the equipment section as well, all with updated rules.  There are even some rules for characters that want to build magical artifacts or rituals that mimic powers.Polishing off the character section are the standard rules for combat, damage and healing.  With many examples, I’ve found that this newer edition seems a bit easier to understand than its predecessor.  I’m looking forward to a 2nd edition GM screen, as many of the charts and information in this section could be really useful to have in front of me when I run a game.The last third of the book is really intended for the GM’s use, as it contains a gob of information on GMing advice, world building and NPCs.  Though they are more generic this time around, the villain archetypes are really well done … each nicely illustrated and full of options.  There’s even a bestiary of animals, standard NPCs and monsters to help or hinder the heroes.  I found this section had some of the best information for a GM wanting to run a superhero game.  Great job!Finally there’s the intrinsic design of the book.  Let me just say that this book is gorgeous!  If Hal Mangold doesn’t win an Ennie for this book at next year’s Gen Con, than no one should.  For those not in the know, the entire book is full-color on glossy pages.  Fans of Ramon Perez and Storn Cook will also be happy, as much of their work is also featured in this book.  Overall, this is a great product and I’m looking forward to their catalog of M&M products in the future.  Keep up the great work Green Ronin!</blockquote>

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